I loved that series, until the last book. Maybe the novelty had worn off.

It's been a long time since I read it, but didn't the current Death decide to retire and pass the role on?

If you're referring to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Under_a_Velvet_Cloak - note that it was written a couple decades after the prior books of the series, for a different publisher, to a different length. Those would be yellow flags with almost any author.